Almabayev won each of his first four UFC appearances to push his overall winning streak to 17 before suffering a loss to Manel Kape last time out in a bout where he felt he was poked in the eye at the outset of what would become the finishing sequence. The 31-year-old from Kazakhstan is 21-3 overall, sits at No. 9 in the rankings, and headlined last time out, making him a massive step up in competition for the ascending Ochoa.
Saturday’s Fight By Fight Preview
You have to appreciate the moxie of the Chute Boxe Diego Lima product to make this relatively quick turnaround against a Top 10 opponent; it shows confidence and is an excellent chance for Ochoa to further establish where he stands in the division, while affording fans another chance to gauge how he measures up, as well.
These are the kinds of risks you love to see a young, ambitious fighter take, as there isn’t much downside. He still has plenty of time to bounce back and grow from this outing should things not go his way, and if he’s successful on Saturday, the flyweight division will have a new ascending contender in the mix.
Marcus Buchecha
One of the most accomplished Brazilian jiu jitsu competitors of the last 15 years, Marcus Buchecha arrives in the UFC this weekend and gets an immediate test in the form of Martin Buday.
Between 2011 and 2019, Buchecha won 13 golds and 16 medals overall at the IBJJF World Championship, along with two golds and a silver at the No-Gi Worlds, four golds and six medals at the Pan-Ams, and two golds and six medals at the Abu Dhabi Combat Club World Championship. On the mats, he’s an absolute monster, and he’s shown that since transitioning to MMA, as well, posting five wins in six starts, with four of his victories coming by way of submission.